Link to Silk City

The $3-billion Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah causeway, linking the Shuwaikh Port in the south to the new town at Subiya to the north, will drastically reduce travel time from 70 to 20 minutes.

June 2018

Work on the massive Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah causeway, one of the largest infrastructure projects under way in the GCC region, is well under way with around 87 per cent of the overall project completed.

Being developed by Kuwait’s Ministry of Public Works (MPW) at an estimated cost of $3 billion, the causeway is named after the 13th Emir of Kuwait to commemorate his contribution to the development of Kuwait.

It comprises two elements: the 36.1-km Main Link and the 12.4-km Doha Link, which together make it one of the longest bridge projects in the world.

The main causeway across Kuwait Bay links the Shuwaikh Port area on the south side of the bay to the proposed new town at Subiya to the north. It includes a 27-km marine bridge, a signature cable-stayed structure with a massive arch pylon rising as a landmark in the middle of the vital navigation route of the Kuwait Bay leading to the proposed Silk City (Madinat Al Hareer).

The Doha Link, which is primarily a marine bridge, crosses the south of Kuwait Bay linking Shuwaikh Port with the Doha motorway. It includes three lanes and one emergency lane in each direction.

Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah causeway will provide new strategic highway routes to facilitate planned development to the north of Kuwait City. The Main Link aims to facilitate traffic movement to Subiya by reducing the travel time to 20 minutes from the 70 minutes taken on the current highways; the Doha Link, meanwhile, will reduce the 30-minute drive on the current highway to a seven-minute ride.

The 36-km main causeway ... linking the Shuwaikh Port area to the Subiya New Town.

The development of the two components were awarded on a design-build basis following the completion of the concept design. A consortium of South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering & Construction with the local Combined Group Contracting Company (CGCC) is the contractor for the Main Link under a KD738.75 ($2.6 billion) deal awarded in November 2013; while GS Engineering & Construction, also of South Korea, is the contractor for the Doha Link under a KD165.71 million contract awarded in 2014.

Dar Al Handasah (Shair & Partners) (Dar), in association with TY Lin International (TYLI) and the local consultant SSH, is the engineer’s representative on both projects, and are in charge of the design review and construction supervision. According to Dar, TYLI led the review of the structural design of the bridges, while Dar led the review of the other aspects of the project including transportation, GIS, environmental, geotechnical, and marine works. SSH led the review of the buildings, infrastructure work, and electromechanical systems.

The Main Link and Doha Link consist of two carriageways with a total width of 30.6 m, and accommodate in each direction an outer edge, three traffic lanes and an emergency lane.

Originally, the causeway project was conceived as one project but, in order to expedite the completion of the works, the project was tendered in two contracts: Main Link (36.14 km) and Doha link (12.4 km).

An essential aspect of the bridge, which was tackled at the outset, was the environmental risks involved, with determined efforts made to minimise any interference or damage to the flora/fauna and the sea environment as a whole, whether temporarily during construction or permanently, according to Dar.

Main link

The Main Link has two carriageways with three traffic lanes and an emergency lane in each direction.

“The prominent feature of the Main Link is the iconic pylon for the cable‑stayed bridge that is inspired by the conventional sailboat – a traditional and historic theme of Kuwait. The pylon stands at approximately 151 m, which is about the same height as that of the prominent Kuwait Towers,” says a spokesman for Dar.

Apart from the marine bridge, the project will include two artificial islands of 30 hectares; one on the northern side – Bay Island North – and the other on the southern side of the bridge – Bay Island South – which will house maintenance and traffic emergency buildings, fuelling stations and marina facilities. These islands will also have a visual/aesthetic role as they break the monotony of a long and uniform bridge.

The Main Link will host 31 multi-purpose buildings, the landmark structure being a visitor centre and causeway main administration and management building on the Shuwaikh side.

Work on the bridge is currently ongoing on several fronts simultaneously including in the Shuwaikh, marine and Subiya areas.

Doha link

The Doha Link Project connecting the Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait City to the Kuwait Entertainment City comprises a 7.72 km-long offshore bridge and a 4.71 km-long onshore bridge. The bridges have eight lanes, including emergency lanes.

Among the works completed in March this year was the erection of some 80 segments for the East approach bridge and the concrete pour at all segments for the East approach bridge, following the completion of erection of all segments of the West approach bridge. The contractor also recently completed erection of all segments for the west approach bridge and the installation of the superstructure of Doha peninsular road and interchange.

Work on Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah causeway is scheduled for completion by the end of this year.

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